Western Herbalism
Jaborandi
Pilocarpus jaborandi
Also known as Pilocarpus, (1) Pernambuco Jaborandi, (2) Maranham Jaborandi.
External. Externally applied pilocarpus and pilocarpine are accredited with the rather singular effect of causing the hair to become darker in color, and to stimulate the growth of that appendage it is frequently employed in alopecia.
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Botanical source of pilocarpine
- Xerostomia (dry mouth, Sjogren syndrome, post-radiation)
- Glaucoma (ophthalmic pilocarpine)
- (Eclectic) colliquative night sweats of consumptives
- uremia and uremic convulsions (eliminating fluid and urea through the skin)
- dropsy and edema
- some forms of polyuria/diabetes insipidus (restraining excess secretion in small doses)
- aid to diaphoresis in inflammatory and febrile states
- antidote-adjunct favoring elimination in belladonna/atropine and ptomaine poisoning
Safety
Recognised toxicity. This plant carries a toxicity flag in the record; it is for trained practitioners only.
Low dose botanical. Used in drop doses in the classical practice; not a plant to dose freely.
Breastfeeding: Lactation (source flag notSafeInLactation)
The record lists 9 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Eclectic pilocarpine nitrate dose was 1/12 to 1/6 grain (~5-11 mg) hypodermically, action quickened by heat and hot drinks | 5.4-10.8 mg | |
| Fluid Extract of Pilocarpus | Dose, from five to sixty minims. | 0.31-3.7 mL |
| Specific Medicine Jaborandi | Dose, from one-fourth of a minim to three minims. | 0.06-0.18 mL |
| The doctor claimed that more was accomplished by this one dose of medicine in one hour in the way of elimination, than he could have accomplished otherwise, in forty-eight hours. | ||
| In laryngeal diphtheria and in membranous croup, given in doses of from two to five drops every two hours, in conjunction with antiseptic treatment, it increases the mucus and salivary secretions and loosens the membrane and causes its exfoliation promptly and satisfactorily. | 0.04-0.1 mL | |
| The agent in doses of from one-half to one drop often repeated during the afternoon or evening has controlled most satisfactorily the night sweats of slow convalescence and of pulmonary phthisis. | 0.01-0.02 mL |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Therapy. External. Externally applied pilocarpus and pilocarpine are accredited with the rather singular effect of causing the hair to become darker in color, and to stimulate the growth of that appendage it is frequently employed in alopecia.
Therapy. At the onset of acute febrile and inflammatory conditions, especially if there be rigors, hot, full head, and a bounding, hard pulse, a foot bath of hot water and a full dose of jaborandi with proper supportive treatment subsequently will often end the attack abruptly.
Action, Medical Uses, and Dosage. (See Pilocarpus.) The large doses necessary render this infusion somewhat apt to provoke nausea and vomiting, though it well represents the virtues of jaborandi. Dose, ½ to 2 fluid ounces.
Action and Toxicology. Jaborandi and its alkaloid, pilocarpine, are the most powerful excitants of the secretions of the peripheral secretory glands known. In full doses they cause an enormous outpouring of sweat and saliva, and to a lesser degree stimulate the lachrymal, nasal, faucial, and bronchial secretory apparatus, and to a still lesser extent those of the stomach and intestines.
Drawn from King's American Dispensatory, 18th edition (Felter and Lloyd); Ellingwood's American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy; Felter's Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and the Bountiful Herbs editorial.
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